Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-07-20
CLIMB FOR LIFE.
Terrible Experience of Cornishman In
Nevada Mining Shaft.

The other evening party of min
ers were sitting around the stove in
their clearinghouse, smoking their
pipes and relating Incidents from
their experiences while working in
the mines. One of them, a hardy,
siaewy-looking Cornishman, of about
fifty years of age, related the follow
ing story of a narrow escape from
death. He said in substances:
Some years ago was working Tor q
prospecting company operating in the
Western part of Nevada County. The
company had bonded a quartz claim
on a working bond, and were at
tempting to develop it as cheaply as
possible. Agar or two previous the
owner had sunk shaft on the edge
to the depth of three hundred feet.
but being short of of money had sus-
pended work and allowed the shaft
to fill up with water. The new COM
pany started to run tunnel which
should strike the bottom of the shaft
and serve as a drain tunnel. After a
portion of the work had been COM
pleted the rock became very hard and
the expense so great that the manager
of the enterprise concluded to
abandon it. l suggested to him
that it would have been better if he
had in the start bailed out the shaft to
see whether the property was suf-
ficiently valuable to justify further de-
! velopments. I told him that even then
it would not cost much to do it, and he
would be better satisfied if it should be
done.
There was small donkey engine at
the mouth of the shaft, and, instead of
using a pump, the water had been
raised to the surface by a "bailing
tub" 1t was finally concluded to get
up steam and hoist the water. The
ledge stood almost perpendicular, and
the shaft was very narrow. There was
just room enough for the tub to pass
up and down, bu+ not room enough to
allow it to turn and fiji by dipping. 1t
was therefore made to fill by valve
at the bottom, which opened upward
with the pressure of the water below.
In the course of two or three days the
water had been lowered to q depth of
$50 OF 200 feet without difficulty. But
when that point was reached the shaft
made a bend to follow the dip of the
ledge. One day the tub, when passing
this bend, was caught between the
walls, and could neither be raised
nor lowered. The "boss" asked
that some one should 60 down
and relieve 1t. This was considered to
be a dangerous undertaking. The
only way to descend was to climb down
the rope, or to trust to perpendicular
ladder of slight material fastened to
the side of the shaft. Having been so
long under water, it was thought that
the fastenings might have slipped OF
become insecure, and no one would
trust his life to so frail support. l
finally volunteered to make the descent,
and, Selling the rope, after much diff
Guilty reached the spot where the tub
was caught. Bracing myself against
the opposite wall and resting my feet
on the ladder, / succeeded in dis4odg-
ing the tub from it's position. Then |
stood on the ladder, drawing myself as
close to it as possible, in order to let
the tub pass me, and gave the signal
to hoist. Slowly the load was raised,
and its ascent it squeezed me so hard
against my perch as to almost strip the
clothing from my body and dis1odge
me from where I stood. The
plan was to remain where /
was till the tub should be
emptied and lowered to hoist me
to the surface again. watched
it as 1T went up ercling and turning as
it scraped along the walls. Suddenly
there was snap, a crash, and / was
deluged with water. Quick as flash I
realized what had happened. The tub
had caught on the side of the landing,
swapping the cable and letting it back
into the shaft again I had no time to
think, no time to plan-barely time to
realize that was dead man. I chung
to the ladder with a death-like grip,
closed mp eyes and squeezed my head
as close to the wall as l could. Thus I
I waited for death for what seemed to
me a painfully long time. I felt sud-
den chill pass through me, and the
perspiratien started from every pore,
After whas seemed to me long time I
ventured to turn my eyes upward.
There [ saw the dreadful tub about
half way from the top, turned obliquely
across the shaft, with the lower edge
resting upon projecting rock. AS
suddenly as it left me, hope came
back again. Recalling nay scat
tered senses, I planned how I
should escape. / trembled in every
limb and felt such a feeling of
faintness and nervous exhaustion that
I doubted whether l could climb out
Hnaided, even should the treacherous
ladder prove strong enough to support
my weight. The slight projection of
rock might yield to the weight of the
tub that still was suspended over me;
or the men above might make an effort
IL